While there are different types of marketing with different skillsets, there are some skills that are universal in marketing that apply to all types of marketing. Prioritizing these skills will not only make you versatile but will bring you success over time.
Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills
I am sure you are familiar with the questions of production, where you have to come up with answers to questions like, What to produce? For whom to produce? And how to produce? These questions have given birth to great companies because they were able to correctly answer them by analyzing the market, the available resources, the cost of production, the means of distribution, etc. The ability to think critically helps you come up with marketing questions for both your present and future projects. Questions of marketing for an ongoing marketing campaign can be “Is this marketing campaign going well?” “Are we reaching our audience in the best way possible?” “Is there room for improvement, and if yes, what can we do?” Critical thinking is very important as it requires the ability to envisage potential risks and challenges and visualize both short-term and long-term solutions. Analytical thinking, on the other hand, requires the use of data collection techniques such as surveys, social media metrics, and website analytics. These data collection methods help the marketer identify patterns and present opportunities to re-strategize.
Collaboration Skills
This is having the ability to work with others, not just the people in your group but in general. This helps in learning more about how to analyze human behavior, wants, needs, and responses. Understanding the difference between what people say they need, what they actually need, and what they respond to is very vital to becoming an excellent marketer. This skill will make you stand out. When you collaborate well, you actively listen to what others have to say and communicate efficiently.
Technical Marketing Skills
Having basic or in-depth technical marketing skills is highly essential and makes the sky your limit. It is advantageous in situations where you have to collaborate with others whose roles are different from yours. You would need to have a basic or in-depth understanding of the programs and tools other roles use; it aids effective communication with other members of your marketing team whose functions are different from yours. This also gives you the opportunity to diversify and move into new or different areas of marketing as your career progresses.
